Booker High grad's hockey heritage has brought him to Sweden

Ben Winter flew from Sarasota to Malmö, Sweden. The he took a bus from Malmö to Strömstad, was dropped off at a decrepit gas station, and was picked up by two people, a man and a woman, driving a jet black van, the kind used in movies to signal, “Hey, this guy or gal is up to no good!”

This is how Winter’s Swedish odyssey began.

Thankfully, the couple in the van took the 2011 Booker High grad to his new job playing hockey, not some dank corner of the warehouse district. Winter traveled to Europe after the Strömstad Lions, a third-division team over there, emailed him a tryout offer. Actually, they offered it while he was on the plane to Malmö, to try out for a different team. Something about Strömstad’s offer felt better to Winter than the original deal, so he went for it.

He was nervous. He didn’t speak Swedish but was relieved to find out most people had at least a rudimentary knowledge of English. Still, it was a new world for him, and he had to adapt quickly — on Oct. 13, three days into the tryout period, the Lions signed Winter to a contract through the end of March.

He’s playing on the Lions’ second or third line, depending on the night. In Strömstad, a town of approximately 10,000 people, Winter isn’t quite a celebrity, but his team is respected. He’s been stopped a handful of times by fans wanting to chat about the team. On one occasion, a young woman he didn’t recognize stopped him and a teammate to say thank you. For what, Winter didn’t know, until she revealed that the duo had coached her son in a clinic the day before, and he now thought of them as role models.

“It’s been awesome,” Winter said of his time in Strömstad. “Getting that email, going up north and making it was much more than I expected. It’s really a great organization. They’ve helped me with whatever I’ve needed.”

After hearing Winter’s story, I was left pondering one thing: Why?

Why would someone do this? Why would someone put their life on hold to play hockey for a third-tier club in a country with a completely foreign way of life?

“I’m one of those guys who’s obsessed with hockey,” he said. “When I’m not playing it, I’m reading it. When I’m not reading it, I’m watching it. When I’m not watching it, I’m sleeping.”

The answer, I learned, was simple.

Before living in Sarasota, Winter lived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with his parents, Geoff and Debbie Winter. They would all watch Ottawa Senators games on television together, and attended several games in person at The Palladium/the Corel Centre (The Senators’ arena has held many names; Right now, it’s the Canadian Tire Centre). Winter still stays up late, in his Strömstad room, to watch Senators games.

Down the street from Winter’s old house in Ottawa was a canal. It probably has a name, but Winter doesn’t remember it. It ran nine miles long, and during the harshest weather, it would freeze. Everyone in town would skate, for free, on the frozen canal, until they hit the horizon line, then they turned around and skated back. This is where Winter’s parents taught him to skate. His memories of the canal are some of his most cherished, he said.

Those memories, and the Senators, are why Winter has such a connection to the game. After his collegiate career, which started at Arizona State University and ended at Aurora University in Illinois, ended, Winter decided to follow his heart, wherever it led.

“I’m one of those guys who’s obsessed with hockey,” he said. “When I’m not playing it, I’m reading it. When I’m not reading it, I’m watching it. When I’m not watching it, I’m sleeping.”

Winter decided to play overseas for a year, no matter how it went. He wants to learn Swedish, figuring it’ll look good on a resume someday. He wants to ingrain himself in the culture, too. He likes Sweden.

Whether he likes it enough to stay past a year remains to be seen. The Lions have offered him an extension (terms undisclosed) but Winter said he hasn’t decided what he’s going to do yet. He’s taking things one skate at a time, and having fun doing it. This is like a vacation, he said.

I came into our interview skeptical, and left it understanding. Why is Winter playing hockey for the Lions? Because he wants to and he can. The guts it takes to up and leave everything behind in pursuit of your dream is something to be admired, and Winter certainly fits that bill.